Designing the first school in Houston to operate with geothermal heating and cooling
What started as a school re-site design became one of the greenest elementary schools in Texas—without adding any costs to the district’s capital budget. Early planning conversations led to a two-story, high-performance school, which is now reporting energy savings of over 50%.
This is the first school in Houston to use geothermal heating and cooling, and it’s certified LEED Gold. Every classroom on campus can operate with only natural light 75% of the time—even the south-facing rooms, which take advantage of daylight harvesting.
The school also includes an on-site wind turbine, 10 kilowatts of roof-mounted photovoltaic cells (which will convert sunlight directly into electricity), a butterfly garden along a walking trail, and an underground cistern that collects rainwater from the roof to flush toilets and urinals.
Trees from the existing site were reused in the building as benches, a treehouse, and conference room tables. Not only is sustainability part of the physical building, it’s also integrated into the curriculum of the school through the use of web-based, interactive learning tools.
At a Glance
- Offices
- Client
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- Spring Independent School District
- Awards
- American School & University Architectural Portfolio, William W. Caudill Citation
- TASA/TASB Awards, Caudill Award
- American School & University Educational Interiors, Silver Citation
Tracy Eich, Senior Principal, Texas Design Leader
Architecture at its core is problem solving—but at its essence, it’s also a form of behavioral science, and the quality of the spaces we create affects the human spirit.
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